Kinderdijk

Introduction

The mills at Kinderdijk went up between 1738 and 1740 to move water from the low polder into the Lek river, part of a system that has kept the land dry for nearly three centuries. Two of them, the Nederwaard and Blokweer museums, are open inside, and you can watch the gearing that turns wind into pumping power. A boat runs along the canals, included in the ticket, and a pumping station shows the steam and electric successors to the mills. The Waterbus from Rotterdam Erasmusbrug is the simplest way to arrive, or bus 154. May to September has the longest hours.